Reviews tagging 'Terminal illness'

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

34 reviews

flashandoutbreak's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Blood, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Murder

andrewhatesham's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Suicide, Death, Medical trauma, Medical content, Confinement, Mental illness, and Terminal illness

Minor: Miscarriage, Sexual content, Excrement, and Grief

barbarella85's review against another edition

challenging dark

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death, Suicide, Terminal illness, and Confinement

rionstorm's review

dark mysterious reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

A really interesting (and bleak) exploration of how we make sense and meaning of ourselves and our role as a Person, and how much of that is situational. The narrator's musings on how time only has meaning and we only really exist when it's in relation to other people really struck a chord with me. 

If you are looking for fast paced or hopeful dystopian fiction you won't like this.

Ending spoilers

Spoiler

Have seen the story described as "a puzzle that refuses to be solved", and I feel that's accurate - but as frustrating as that is, I can respect the authors decision not to explain anything. It sort of places you alongside the narrator and gives you the option to either choose to continue going knowing that there probably won't be a resolution, or give up.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Grief, Murder, Death, Terminal illness, Infertility, Kidnapping, Confinement, Abandonment, and Suicide

Moderate: Police brutality and Physical abuse

paulinelluise's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.75

Spoiler

I thought she would be able to tell us what was going on, I want to know :(

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Injury/Injury detail, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Infertility, Blood, Violence, Kidnapping, Cancer, Death, Grief, and Alcohol

kimberleydawn's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death, and Confinement

Minor: Grief, Suicide, Terminal illness, Sexual content, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Infertility, Physical abuse, Dementia, Blood, Excrement, Kidnapping, and Cancer

madelinequinne's review

challenging reflective sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I’m not usually a fan of dystopian or sci fi books so this was a bit out of my comfort zone, but i thought the concept was really interesting! 

when i picked this up i was more expecting it to be about a small group of women being held against their will by men for nefarious reasons, rather than it being a dystopia where so many people were in these bunkers for a reason nobody knew, so it was a surprise when i got into it and realised it was that, and i can’t say i hugely enjoyed it just cuz this genre isn’t really my kind of thing, but i did find a lot of the points the main character made very reflective and interesting, and found myself relating to her in some ways, despite her situation being so far from anyone on earth’s. 

it was cool to challenge myself to explore a genre i’m not usually into, but i don’t know if i’d do it again 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Kidnapping, Suicide, Infertility, Dementia, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Cancer, Terminal illness, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, and Abandonment

overmonroeville's review

adventurous dark emotional inspiring reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Physical abuse, Police brutality, Violence, Terminal illness, and Confinement

Moderate: Suicide

savvylit's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

I Who Have Never Known Men is a character-driven dystopian novel full of ambiguity. Readers are allowed just as much knowledge of the women's circumstances as they themselves have access to. The narrator is a teenager, the youngest of the entire group. Unable to remember her life before the bunker, the narrator is frustrated with the other women's desire for pre-imprisonment comforts.

I can't summarize much more about this novel without giving away portions of the plot. What I will say is that Harpman's unnamed narrator and her associates are all incredibly true to life. I was fully engrossed by their lives - despite the ambiguity and mystery surrounding their circumstances. I Who Have Never Known Men is a truly fantastic addition to the dystopian canon and I will be thinking about it for a very long time!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Terminal illness, Cancer, and Violence

jkull_10's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A

2.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Confinement, Death, Medical trauma, Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infertility, Pandemic/Epidemic, Suicide, and Torture